Lars Reger, EVP and CTO at NXP
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Under The Hood: Automotive Storytelling
July 17, 2026

Chiplets, Trust, AI and Robots

Lars Reger - EVP and CTO at NXP Semiconductors - S2E14

Behind every automotive innovation lies a human story. Hosted by Stéphane Lagresle, founder of The Storytelling Tribe, this podcast reveals how industry leaders translate complex technologies into compelling narratives. Through conversations with automotive executives, discover practical frameworks for making automotive innovations relatable and meaningful. For executives, product leaders, and marketers transforming mobility through better communication.

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Chiplets, Trust, AI and Robots

Recorded on the floor of the Automobil Elektronik Kongress 2026 in Ludwigsburg, this conversation with Lars Reger, EVP and CTO of NXP Semiconductors, tracks how automotive silicon is reshaping who gets a seat at the table, and how much trust a car actually needs before it can drive itself.

Key
Insights

  • From value chain to value network

    Lars Reger explains why semiconductor makers now shape OEM decisions earlier than ever, as the industry moves away from a strict OEM to Tier 1 to Tier 2 order.

  • Trust before intelligence

    Lars revisits his own line that a car is as much a brain on wheels as a human is a brain on shoes, and uses it to explain why autonomous systems need layered, real-time architecture rather than one giant AI brain.

  • The Connective Tissue Between Human and Machine

    Cars don’t speak English. Vehicles generate data that engineers, developers, and eventually drivers can’t easily interpret without translation. Jeff describes the role Sonatus plays as the connective tissue between the human and the machine: enabling an engineer to interrogate a vehicle in natural language, from anywhere in the world, and get a structured diagnostic response. LLMs, he argues, are what make this human relationship with technology finally possible.

  • Chiplets, decoded

    Lars Reger breaks down what a chiplet actually is, and argues that speed and flexibility, not cost, are the real force behind the trend, as chip design cycles that used to take years get compressed into weeks.

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Key
Takeaways

  • Loop in silicon partners earlier
    As architecture centralizes, the semiconductor choice increasingly shapes what an OEM can build, not the reverse.
  • Separate real-time control from AI decision-making
    Reger’s layered model treats safety-critical reflexes and creative AI reasoning as different systems that should not depend on each other.
  • Watch for chiplet interface standards
    The next unresolved question in the industry is who defines the standard that lets chiplets from different vendors talk to each other.
  • Treat SDV infrastructure as the prerequisite, not the product
    The SDV is what makes AI in vehicles possible. Companies and OEMs that frame it as an end destination misunderstand its role in the technology stack.
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Where Technology Meets Narrative

Under the Hood: Automotive Storytelling uncovers the human narratives driving innovation in an industry that impacts lives worldwide. Hosted by Stéphane Lagresle, this podcast explores how the power of storytelling ultimately connects technology to humans.

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